Breast-supporter.



E. M. QUIRK. BREAST SUPPORTER. APPLICATION HLED IAN-25.1917- Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

UNITED srArEs PATENT earlier.

ETHEL M. QUIRK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PEll'NSYLVANIA.

BREAST-SUPPORTER.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ETHEL M. QUIRK, a citizen of' the United States, residing at Philadelphia county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain. new and useful Improved Breast-Supporter, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a breast supporter designed to be worn so that corsets are unnecessary and is particularly adapted for theatrical use although the same is capable of other uses.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced .by the theatrical profession in procuring a form of breast supporter which answers the particular requirements ofthe calling. Broadly stated, two forms of sup- .porters are now used, two wit :-brassieres which are worn in connection with corsets and serve to bind and compress the bust and bust supporters constructed of metal, elastic and non-elastic fabric or combinations thereof and equipped with numerous buckles, fastening mediums, bands, straps, belts and other devices calculated to render said supporter unsatisfactory andcommercially unvaluable for the desired purposes herein specified.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the above recited disadvantageous. features and provide a bust supporter intended to be worn so that corsets are unnecessary and adapted to raise the feminine breast, counteract the tendency thereof to droop and support the same in an easy and comfortable position so as to definitely conform the figure to natural youthful lines and to establish both as to appearance and actual conditions natural, easy and graceful body symmetry. A further object of the present invention is to provide a bust supporter so designed-that it operates to hold the; breast in a natural and firm condition in contradistinction from permitting agitating or unnatural moving thereof calculated to result from acrobatic or like dancing. A further object of the present invention is to provide a bust sup-- porter which in addition to possesslng the above described advantages is calculated to permit of utmost freedom of certain organs and muscles of the body. A still further object of the present invention 1s toprovide a bust supporter constructed of melastlc fabric as linen and free of uns ghtly, pro- Specificaflon of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 14,, 1917 Application filed January 25, 1817. Serial No. 144,490. l

truding attachments so that the same may be readily worn under evening and like gowns of extremely thin material. A still urther object of the present invention is to provide a breast supporter of the character stated which requires no special steps in ,its manufacture or expensive fabric in its construction and which may therefore Fig. 3' is a perspective view illustrating the practical application of the breast supporter, and I Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a slightly modified form hereinafter referred to.

For the purposeof illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof. which is at present preferred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to beunderstoodthat the various instrumentalities of rangement 'and'organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown a'nd described, The supporter of the present invention is designed principally for use by the theatrical profession, for instance, by acrobatic and other dancers, although the supporter of the invention may, with equally satisfactory results, be worn generally and particularly with dcollet gowns. In the drawings the bust su porter is shown as comprising an article 0 wearing apparel resemblin somewhat a brassiere although structurally and in use, it differs materially therefrom. In practice, the'supporter is manufactured of inelastic fabric, preferably linen, and a multiplicity of pieces or sections of such material are used in the make up thereof. As

each side of the supporter is a duplicate in which my invention consists can be. vari ously arranged and organized and that my 'invention'is not limited to the precise ar- The bottom ed (mi ILL so far as general construction is concerned, a description will be given ofeonly one side thereof after first describing the formation of the central closed front portion thereof.

perimposed strips whichstrips are secured hooks 26. The in The vertical edges of the two pieces that join in the center, of the. supporter between the substantially conical pockets for the busts are designated 10 and are out upon the" bias and joined as by stitching toform a pliable rib 12. The straight is thus caused to extend rearwardly toward and lies beneath the central horizontal line of the bust. The section 10 extends fromthe rib 12 to the vertical central bust line. The top edge of such section 10 is slightly curved and the bottom edge is cut upon the bias. The adjoining section 13 .is so disposed that the straight of the material extends from the vertical central bust line to apoint adjacent an armpit portion, said section 13 being connected to section 10 as by stitching as at 14:. That edge of section 13 which extends from the central bust line to the underarmportion is slightly curved upwardly. The bottom edge, the underarm portion and the outer edge thereof are all cut uponthe bias. Joining these two sections 1013 as by stitching 15 is a tapered tab section 16. The straight'of the material of this tab is in a direction upwardly from the center of the'supporter toward a shoulder strap. The lower edge of section 16 which is attached to tops of sections 10-13 by stitchin 19 is straight along the top edge thereo and straight at its outer edge. e is out upon the bias as shown. Exten ing beneath and connected to the sections 10-13-18 is a lower section or strip 20, the bottom edge of which is straight and the top edge of which is out upon the bias to fit the sections to which it is connected as by stitching 21. It is to be noted in this'respect that the apex of the bottom piece and the back piece and inter-- mediate piece are all joined at a point under the armpit portion to provide strength at this point for compression purposes. In practice, supporter immediately below the bust line and serves to keep the supporter from slipping upward thus permitting the bust supporting pockets to well support the bust. The section 20 also serves to compress the fleshy rib'parts of the body beneath the arms thereby providing a neat, trim appearance of the material pocket the section 20 extends around the teati lsections18 may faced upon its inner side with tape 23 or the like to which is secured the strips of elastic 22. The free ends of the elastic strips have stitched thereto suof tape 21-25 between ner face of the opposite section 18 has stitched thereupon a strip of tape 27 to which are secured eyes 28 for cooperative engagement with the hooks 26. Both hooks and eyes as thus secured are located in a low cut gown the upper elastic strips may be leftin unfastened position as the lower strip serves to rovide a secure attachment.

The above escribed supporter is constructed as low as possible, particularly the back, so that the same may be worn by persons wearing dcollet gowns and by dancers. The front is relatively high to cover the entire breast. Whenacrobatic dancing is indulged in, where entire freedom of the muscles is necessary, the shoulder straps may be made sufficiently yielding for the urpose. The sections 101316, it will e understood, form substantially conical pockets for bust reception and in this conneetion it will be observed that the lower sections support and form the bust along natural lines and the upper sections or tabs 16 serve to hold down and round out the bust and prevent agitation thereof when vigorous exercise, as dancing, is indulged in. As the bust is thus rounded out and maintained in graceful lines, so the fatty rib portions beneath the arm are likewise maintained in symmetrical contour by the lower section 20 which compresses at the point hereinbefore referred to as be1ng strengthened beneath an armpit ortion.

As thus constructed, the straight of the assembled section of fabric is in two general directions. I The straight of sections 10- 1318 and 20 is drawn rearward in a suband hidden from view. In wearing a .stantially horizontal manner as the tworear sections are secured together thus raising With the rear sections secured together and bust. Thus all the natural, graceful curves of youth may be conserved and certain objectionable features which are prevalent in modern dancing eliminated. The supporter may also be used with good results by mothers after childbirth by constructing same as at 30 in Fig. 4. It may likewise be worn 'thebust and preventing sagging thereof.

with good results by mothers at this period when the breast is less firm than usual.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the ina multiplicity of attached sections of textile material to form a smooth, close fitting unitary structure, the back of which is open and is relatively low cut and the front of which 1s closed and is relatively high cut and is provided with substantially conical shaped bust pockets each formed of lower sections attached along a substantially vertical seam and a single upper section forming a tab secured to said lower sections along a downwardly curved seam, shoulder straps conthe back of the article and elastic means adjustably connecting the parts of the open bac 2. An article of the character stated embracing a closed front portion and an open back portion, said parts consisting of a series of attached pieces of soft inelastic material to provide a unitary structure with no interruption of garment continuity, the pieces of the front section being formed to provide spaced substantially conical bust pockets, said article having attached to its lower edge throughout its extent a strip of inelastic material, sald strip being arranged at such an elevation that it extends around the body immediately below the bust line, shoulder straps connecting said pockets and back tion upon sections by portions and means for detachably connecting the back portions along a vertical central line, the straight of the material of said combined parts being such that in posithe person the shoulder straps serve to pull upwardly the tops of said pockets and the pull or draw exerted upon the remainder of the article is in a substantially horizontal direction toward the back thereof.

'3. An article of the character stated embracing an enveloping support made up of a multiplicity of attached sections of textile materialto form a smooth, close fitting, unitary structure, the back of which is open and is relatively low cut and the front of ,which closed and is relatively high cut and is provided with substantially conical shaped bust pockets each formed of a pair of lower sections attached along .a substantially vertical. seam and asingle upper section forming a tab secured to said lower sections along a downwardly curvedseam, one section of each ,of said pair of lower sections being extended rearwardly to a point beneath the arm-pits, a rear section connected along a substantially vertical seam to each rearwardly extended section, the bottom edges of said lower and rear sections formin a continuous, irregular km, a bottom plece having a straight lower edge secured to said a seam following said irregular line and elastic means for detachably connecting the rear sections of the supporter together.

In testimony whereof, I, have hereunto signed by name. I i

ETHEL M. QUIRK. Witnesses:

WILLIAM J. Jackson, HELEN M. BYRNE. 

